definitely You know that smoking isn t healthy for you or your baby and now you re committed to kicking the habit. What are your options? Must you quit cold turkey or are there safe quit smoking aids you can use to stop smoking? Quitting smoking while pregnant isn t easy but there are ways to make it easier. Let s look at some of the possibilities. Quitting Without Stop Smoking Aids If you can do it, quitting without smoking aids is the ideal method for kicking the smoking habit. When you take this approach, you aren t exposing your baby to medications or nicotine replacements. If you re quitting without help, you can either stop cold turkey or gradually reduce the number of cigarettes you smoking until you re at zero. Unfortunately, doing it on your own is not as easy as doing it with support. Plus, if you gradually reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke, you re still exposing your baby to nicotine and other chemicals in cigarettes until you ve completely stopped. On the other hand, if you re a heavy smoker and you quit all at once, you might experience mood changes due to nicotine withdrawal. If you taper gradually, the nicotine withdrawal symptoms will be less severe. Nicotine Replacement Products These days, nicotine replacement products come in a number of forms patches, chewing gum, and even sprays that give you a dose of nicotine. The purpose of a nicotine replacement product is to deliver the nicotine you would normally be getting from smoking. With this approach, you shouldn t experience nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Because you re getting some nicotine, replacement products make it less challenging to stop smoking. In fact, the success rate with nicotine replacement products is almost double that of quitting on your own. However, you re still exposing your baby to nicotine. It s not clear if nicotine is the component of cigarettes that s linked with pregnancy complications or whether it s one of the other hundreds of chemicals in cigarette smoke. Before using a nicotine replacement product, talk to your doctor. Some replacement products may be safer than others. For example, you can buy long-acting patches that deliver sustained nicotine or shorter acting sprays. Using the spray could potentially pose less risk to your baby, although it s not clear what the risks are of various nicotine products. However, if you quit smoking by using a replacement product, you re not exposing your baby to the other chemicals in cigarettes. Nicotine-Free Medications Bupropion is a medication originally used as to treat depression. It also helps smokers quit smoking. The problem is it s a medication. Ideally, you want to limit exposure to medications as much as possible during pregnancy. Overall, bupropion is a safe medication but it does have potential side effects and few studies have looked at its effects during pregnancy. Of course, you have to weigh the risks of continuing to smoke with the potential risks of the medications. Talk to your doctor about the pros and cons and taking this medication while pregnant. Non-Medicated Approaches Quitting cold turkey is difficult. Unfortunately, nicotine replacement products and bupropion have drawbacks too. Another option is to see a counselor, either one that can give you talk support or one that offers alternative approaches, like hypnosis, meditation, or acupuncture. Although these approaches don t work for everyone, they re drug-free and that s a benefit when you re pregnant. The Bottom Line When you quit smoking, you lower the risk of pregnancy complications, including: Premature birth Delivering a low birth weight baby Having a miscarriage or stillbirth Other complications involving the placenta So, think about your options and discuss them with your doctor but make an effort to quit for you AND your baby. References: WebMD. Alternatives for Giving Up Cigarettes ACOG.com. Smoking Cessation During Pregnancy a really
only enough 4 Options for Quitting Smoking While Pregnant every so often
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